Don't Accuse Anonymously

An anonymous letter is hurtful. Recently, I received such a letter accusing me of not cleaning up after my dog on our morning walks in the neighborhood. If that writer and I could talk face-to-face, we would both have a better understanding of dogs and of people.

My small white dog is a female. Females do not lift a leg high when they urinate, as male dogs do. Females squat in a manner quite similar to their posture when they are defecating, so to a distant viewer it might appear that I'm "not cleaning up the poop."

It's typical of all dogs, male and female, to leave scenting, and so they pee many times. I do pick up her few bowel movements, but I can't clean up 10 or 12 wet markings.